Pigs.....rain...mud...and one very sick little dog.

There is not enough chocolate OR pie, in this house, to wash away today. *sigh* First of all, I was up at 4 am with our little Muncher. He is not doing well. He had several seizures last night and a few today. I am thinking Monday I will have to take him for his " last ride" It breaks my heart. He is 14 years old...and has been a great little dog....I will not let him suffer. :(

Then.....when I went out to do my morning chores, I heard the pigs squabbling...loudly. I made my way over there to find the 2 boys had gotten in with the young gilt. They were both trying to breed her.... ( her daddy and her brother ) She was screaming so loud, trying to get away from them, then I noticed she was limping. Dang. It is SO muddy in there from all of the rain. I grabbed some field corn, turned off the electric fence and went in. I was able to get them back in their own pens and secured the perimeter between them with 2 ft high wood fence panels. These panels are about 8 ft long, and weigh between 150 and 200 pounds. It took almost all I had to drag them a few hundred feet to the hog pen, get them lifted over the outside fence, and drag them through the deep mud to get them set into place. Once I finished getting the 2 panels in place, I realized there was about a 6 ft area that the panels didn't reach. So, I put 3 lines of electric fence in there. It was cold and raining and I just wanted to get out of the mud and inside to a warm finished it was 3:30. Evening chores are done at 4:30. I had an hour to rest. I didn't get back out until 5 pm and when I did I was greeted with screams from the gilt, again. Those 2 boars went through the electric fence! UGH!! So I had to go get the last panel and drag it into position....then get the boys out of her area. Well, after about an hour of chasing them around the mud, I was finally able to get them separated, unfortunately not into the pens I wanted them in. This is going to have to work until I can get some help. I got the panel secured, ran electric along the top and climbed out of the mud. The little gilt was resting in the hut....muddy, cold and exhausted. Tomorrow morning I will stuff her hut with fresh straw. HOPEFULLY the boys will stay put! Came in, got my shower, a hot cup of coffee and grabbed my new color books and pencils. Ahhhh. just what I needed! It is now almost 10:30 pm and I am worn out! Only slept about 3 or 4 hours last night, and that was in 30 to 45 minute stretches. I think I will head to bed here after I finish my coffee, and pray when I wake that the fences held tight. Tomorrow I want to lay on the couch with my little Muncher, cuddle with him all day....most likely his last day here at home. I am Thankful that he wasn't bad like this on Christmas day. He was able to open his gifts...and play with them. THAT is the memory I want to keep with me.